The purpose of this page is to write a brief story about how your family commemorates ANZAC day and why ANZAC day is significant to you.
Instructions:
1. Rename the page and save it as My ANZAC Story - your name.
2. Think about how your family has commemorated ANZAC day and your families ANZAC History. Did any of your relative serve in the previous conflicts or wars? Plan out your ANZAC Story. Consider the 6 core questions - What, When, Who, Where, Why and How as starting points for your story.
What do you do to commemorate ANZAC day?
Who of your relatives were involved, where and when?
Why is it important to you and your family?
3. Please add images if you would like to, but check with your parents and teachers first.
My family does not commemorate Anzac Day. To my parents’ knowledge, none of my relatives have served in the previous conflicts or wars. Due to this, the day is not of much importance in my family.
As I do not have any relatives have been involved in a conflict, I will be adopting an Anzac soldier.
Percy Pepper
Percy Pepper enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Warrnambool, Victoria, 1916. His civil occupation was as a cook in the Flying Corps. Having enlisted at age 38, 1916, he was one of approximately 880 Australian Indigenous people who volunteered for service in the First World War.
Percy, his wife Lucy and their children were Gurnai/Kurnai people from Gippsland. Due to legislation and regulations of Victoria at the time, they were not allowed to live on Aboriginal reserves with their extended families and were often regarded as 'half-castes. Working and living independently, their freedom was restricted by government regulations. Due to the circumstances, a possible reason why Pepper enlisted in the infantry might have been to provide a stable income for his family.
A studio portrait of the Pepper family.
Pepper served as a Private in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion on the Western Front. His service number was 5677. In France, October 1917, Private (Pte) Pepper sustained a head injury from a shell blast. He was also confirmed to have chronic rheumatism at the time. Pte Pepper was later transferred to England and sent to various depots. His discharge from the force was approved in May 1918, and he returned to Australia to care for his seriously ill wife and seven children Sam, Gwendoline, Alice, Sarah, Phillip, Lena and Dora. For his service, Pepper was awarded the 1914–1915 Star British War Medal.
Informal group portraits of soldiers in the 21st Battalion, 15th Reinforcement, on a wharf at Port Melbourne before embarking on the troopship HMAT Shropshire A9. In the first photo, Pte Percy Pepper of is located in the front row, third from the left. In the second, he is in the front row, second from the right.
After the war, Pepper and his family struggled to make success of a soldier settlement block granted to them, much like many other soldier-settler families. The small holding was located on a swamp south-east of Melbourne in Koo-Wee-Rup, Gippsland. It was sold in 1924, one year after Lucy Pepper had died from tuberculosis. Percy moved into Melbourne in the inner northern suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, living there until his death in 1956. The cause of his death is unknown.
Reflection
Through being involved in this project, I have learnt many things. From researching about Percy Pepper, I learnt about the unjust treatment of Indigenous Australians during that time and how it was difficult for retired soldiers to make a living. By reading the Anzac stories of other students, I also gained knowledge from different aspects and areas of the war. For example, I did not know about the difficulties that nurses encountered on the battlefield or the bravery required by bombers to fight in missions. I also learnt that many people in the local community have relatives that fought in conflicts, and own relics or photos of wars. Before, I did not know much about the battle at Gallipoli, and why people celebrated Anzac Day. It was interesting to learn about the specific events that happened on that day and what aspects contributed to the failure of the Anzacs to conquer the Turkish beach.
My views on Anzac Day have been changed by this project. I have realised the significance of Anzac Day not only to individual families, but also in shaping Australia’s identity. Through reading the inspirational stories of soldiers, I can appreciate and respect what they had done to serve their countries in the past.
My ANZAC Story - ZiL
Purpose:
The purpose of this page is to write a brief story about how your family commemorates ANZAC day and why ANZAC day is significant to you.Instructions:
1. Rename the page and save it as My ANZAC Story - your name.2. Think about how your family has commemorated ANZAC day and your families ANZAC History. Did any of your relative serve in the previous conflicts or wars? Plan out your ANZAC Story. Consider the 6 core questions - What, When, Who, Where, Why and How as starting points for your story.
- What do you do to commemorate ANZAC day?
- Who of your relatives were involved, where and when?
- Why is it important to you and your family?
3. Please add images if you would like to, but check with your parents and teachers first.Table of Contents
My ANZAC Story
My family does not commemorate Anzac Day. To my parents’ knowledge, none of my relatives have served in the previous conflicts or wars. Due to this, the day is not of much importance in my family.
As I do not have any relatives have been involved in a conflict, I will be adopting an Anzac soldier.
Percy Pepper
Percy Pepper enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Warrnambool, Victoria, 1916. His civil occupation was as a cook in the Flying Corps. Having enlisted at age 38, 1916, he was one of approximately 880 Australian Indigenous people who volunteered for service in the First World War.
Percy, his wife Lucy and their children were Gurnai/Kurnai people from Gippsland. Due to legislation and regulations of Victoria at the time, they were not allowed to live on Aboriginal reserves with their extended families and were often regarded as 'half-castes. Working and living independently, their freedom was restricted by government regulations. Due to the circumstances, a possible reason why Pepper enlisted in the infantry might have been to provide a stable income for his family.
A studio portrait of the Pepper family.
Pepper served as a Private in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion on the Western Front. His service number was 5677. In France, October 1917, Private (Pte) Pepper sustained a head injury from a shell blast. He was also confirmed to have chronic rheumatism at the time. Pte Pepper was later transferred to England and sent to various depots. His discharge from the force was approved in May 1918, and he returned to Australia to care for his seriously ill wife and seven children Sam, Gwendoline, Alice, Sarah, Phillip, Lena and Dora. For his service, Pepper was awarded the 1914–1915 Star British War Medal.
Informal group portraits of soldiers in the 21st Battalion, 15th Reinforcement, on a wharf at Port Melbourne before embarking on the troopship HMAT Shropshire A9. In the first photo, Pte Percy Pepper of is located in the front row, third from the left. In the second, he is in the front row, second from the right.
After the war, Pepper and his family struggled to make success of a soldier settlement block granted to them, much like many other soldier-settler families. The small holding was located on a swamp south-east of Melbourne in Koo-Wee-Rup, Gippsland. It was sold in 1924, one year after Lucy Pepper had died from tuberculosis. Percy moved into Melbourne in the inner northern suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, living there until his death in 1956. The cause of his death is unknown.
Reflection
Through being involved in this project, I have learnt many things. From researching about Percy Pepper, I learnt about the unjust treatment of Indigenous Australians during that time and how it was difficult for retired soldiers to make a living. By reading the Anzac stories of other students, I also gained knowledge from different aspects and areas of the war. For example, I did not know about the difficulties that nurses encountered on the battlefield or the bravery required by bombers to fight in missions. I also learnt that many people in the local community have relatives that fought in conflicts, and own relics or photos of wars. Before, I did not know much about the battle at Gallipoli, and why people celebrated Anzac Day. It was interesting to learn about the specific events that happened on that day and what aspects contributed to the failure of the Anzacs to conquer the Turkish beach.
My views on Anzac Day have been changed by this project. I have realised the significance of Anzac Day not only to individual families, but also in shaping Australia’s identity. Through reading the inspirational stories of soldiers, I can appreciate and respect what they had done to serve their countries in the past.
References
ANZAC Image -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coloured_illustration_of_Anzac_troops_after_the_fighting_at_Gallipoli_during_World_War_I_%281%29.jpg
http://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/201414
http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/media/media-releases/2013/23.aspx
https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1749762/